by Chan Ly, Commerical Interior Designer, Brays Creek, NSW
Throughout my adult life I had always considered myself as being healthy. I thought I was looking after myself by eating healthy food. I never smoked, drank alcohol, coffee or took any drugs. I felt my body was in good shape and I had always been petite and I would often over eat at meal times because I wouldn’t put on extra weight. The first time I ever had to go into hospital was to give birth to my beautiful son when I was 25. My entire pregnancy was amazing; I felt a little bit of morning sickness during the first trimester only, and labour was natural and fairly quick.
I had my second pregnancy 3 years later. I went through a very different experience. I had suffered from severe morning sickness throughout the first trimester. I was mostly dehydrated and I constantly ate to try to get rid of the nausea. I was working full time and living on a boat with my partner and son. I struggled through the first 3 months and felt so much better when the morning sickness subsided. During the second trimester, I was feeling more tired than usual and I went to all the regular check-ups at the hospital. It was a standard procedure at 26 weeks of pregnancy to do a glucose test to check for diabetes. When the results came back, I got a call from the nurse while I was at work to tell me that I was just slightly over the borderline of being classified as having gestational diabetes. I didn’t quite understand what this all meant at the time, how it all worked and what I was going to enter into. I just remember getting off the phone and crying. I cried, not because I was afraid of having gestational diabetes, but because I was disappointed and felt extremely sad that my body wasn’t coping with the pregnancy. I thought I was healthy and well, but now my body was telling me something different. I was under the illusion that I was very healthy because I had never experienced any illness or disease, until now.
The gestational diabetes explained why I was feeling so exhausted, I didn’t have any energy at all. Washing up dishes at the sink was a major task, I had to lay down 2 or 3 times before I could complete the task. Simple daily chores became an effort and I was constantly exhausted. I thought this was just part of being pregnant, but I knew something was not right, and the test confirmed this. The nutritionist and doctors tried me on a strict diet and exercise to regulate my glucose levels. I was given a kit to do blood tests 6 times a day, a blood test before and after each meal, which meant I had to prick my fingers and extract blood into a device that did the reading for sugar levels in my blood system. The diet and exercise didn’t control my glucose levels, even though I actually lost weight during this trial, so the doctors started me on a very small dose of insulin. I was told to eat more and I was shown how to use the insulin pen and how to inject it into my system 3 times a day. I thought to myself, ‘lucky I am not afraid of needles’, I felt like a pin cushion.
After accepting that I had gestational diabetes I wanted to find out why. I did some research on the internet and asked my doctor why I had gestational diabetes, when I didn’t fit into the list of likely reasons for developing it. He simply replied: “It is your change of diet”. I knew exactly what he meant.
I grew up eating traditional Chinese meals that were gluten free, dairy free and very low in sugar and salt. When I moved to England at the age of 7, I was introduced to dairy, gluten, sugar and caffeinated tea. Slowly my diet had changed and I started eating food that I thought was healthy but was in fact making my body, heavy, dull and overloaded. I felt it in my body every time I ate food that wasn’t supportive, but I would override it because it was advertised as being healthy and I became addicted. For many years I had thought about giving up dairy, cakes and the occasional junk food because I often felt terrible after eating it, but I made excuses and justified eating this way. I felt it was going to be impossible to give up my addiction to gluten, dairy and sugar. I felt I was doing really well by not abusing my body with drugs, alcohol or smoking. I had this idea that I was healthy and I was looking after myself because I wasn’t over doing it with junk food.
The message my body was giving me with developing gestational diabetes did not lead me to change my diet by cutting out gluten, dairy and sugar. I continued eating the same diet for another 6 years with this nagging feeling that I needed to change it but I felt I couldn’t, the change seemed impossible. I was also aware that my chances of developing type 2 diabetes were now 25% higher than previously. I thought: “I’ll take my chances” and continued to live the same way.
I was introduced to Universal Medicine 4 or so years after my pregnancy. I started to attend Serge Benhayon’s presentations and workshops. Everything I was presented resonated for me as truth and love. I started having Esoteric Healing sessions from various practitioners and felt amazing every time. I started to feel lighter, more connected, gentle and tender. I was inspired to start taking care of myself, to be gentle, loving and nurturing. I started to learn about true health and vitality. I saw this in people I met at Universal Medicine and I became extremely inspired.
On New Year’s Day 2013, I decided to try something for myself, I wanted to see how my body felt by cutting out gluten, dairy, caffeine and refined sugar. I was very curious as to how I would go and I surprised myself by how amazing I felt after the first month. I felt energised, calmer, lighter and more clarity. I was feeling more myself, with less moodiness and I even started going to bed super early and waking up with vitality and no heaviness. I used to be the last person to get out of bed in the family and now I am the first. Two years ago I would never have dreamt I would be able to function getting up and starting my day at 3 or 4am, let alone feeling alert and energised that time of the morning.
I have learnt that although I didn’t abuse my body with other substances, like drugs, alcohol and cigarettes, I was actually abusing my body with food. I had received clear signs from my body at a very young age that certain food was not supportive and was actually harming, but I was overriding those signs. I had been using food for comfort to numb my hurts and to cover up the sadness I held in my body. I am now making loving choices, to listen to my body, to nurture and care for it. By listening to my body I am constantly readjusting to what it needs to feel lighter, energised and vital. I now see food and lifestyle as my medicine and preventative for developing diabetes later in life. I am not taking any chances; I am taking responsibility for my choices.
I am deeply blessed and grateful to have been introduced to Universal Medicine, Serge Benhayon, his family and other students. They have inspired me to live life in truth and love. I am learning to reconnect to the amazing woman that I am, to express love and truth in everything that I do. To not hold back any more, but to express who I am every day.
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